Electronic Technician, Electronic Engineering Technician
I love to build things. Test equipment, replica and original sci fi props and costume pieces, and whatever else I feel like at the time. I have an Ultimaker and a 3D engraver.

Since I was a child I have seen most people reach a certain age where looking words up in a close to hand dictionary becomes near-impossible. It's an attitude. Once you finish school, you become a completed adult. From there, looking things up is like admitting that you are not. And yes, I got told the "finished high school, know everything that matters" spiel many times back in the days.

Now we have the internet. Someone can be online asking for help and given links to fully prepared sites chock full of perfectly good and often illustrated explanations that they don't have to get off their... seats... to access, they still demonstrate a failure to even begin to absorb as much as a few terms.

"Here's a plate of food" gets "I can't use a fork, knife or spoon. Feed me.".

I'm happy to say that I have been able to help people not at all like that. If they get stuck and you give them a little help, they figure it out and get going.

It's the others that get me.

But as I note, this is nothing new. It's just that with easy net access we have idiots where we did not before.

Since I was a child I have seen most people reach a certain age where looking words up in a close to hand dictionary becomes near-impossible. It's an attitude. Once you finish school, you become a completed adult. From there, looking things up is like admitting that you are not. And yes, I got told the "finished high school, know everything that matters" spiel many times back in the days.

Now we have the internet. Someone can be online asking for help and given links to fully prepared sites chock full of perfectly good and often illustrated explanations that they don't have to get off their... seats... to access, they still demonstrate a failure to even begin to absorb as much as a few terms.

"Here's a plate of food" gets "I can't use a fork, knife or spoon. Feed me.".

I'm happy to say that I have been able to help people not at all like that. If they get stuck and you give them a little help, they figure it out and get going.

It's the others that get me.

But as I note, this is nothing new. It's just that with easy net access we have idiots where we did not before.

Hi, my step daughter (now 25yo) came out of primary school (years 0 to 6) and still did not know what clockwise and anti-clockwise WAS!!! (Digital time taught)Also she would take time to even work out 6 times 7, then when asked immediately after it, 7 times 6, she would take time and work it out AGAIN!!!! (They never had to memorise multiplication tables or anything,)

Hi, my step daughter (now 25yo) came out of primary school (years 0 to 6) and still did not know what clockwise and anti-clockwise WAS!!! (Digital time taught)

My father taught me "Turn to the right to make it tight." That works...until you find a left-handed thread!

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Also she would take time to even work out 6 times 7, then when asked immediately after it, 7 times 6, she would take time and work it out AGAIN!!!! (They never had to memorise multiplication tables or anything,)

They're taught to rely on calculators, but if they miss-key, or use the wrong formula, they'll never know they've got the wrong answer! Earlier today I wanted to convert US$42 into pounds Sterling. I know that $1 is approx. £0.65. Being lazy, I fired up the calculator and entered 42/0.65. Woops. That can't be right! Face-palm! I meant 42 * 0.65. Would any one who had not been taught basic arithmatic have spotted that or would they have assumed the first answer was correct?

Also she would take time to even work out 6 times 7, then when asked immediately after it, 7 times 6, she would take time and work it out AGAIN!!!!

That has Left-Brain Fixation stamped all over it. Too much emphasis on FOCUS which is what schools have done ever more since long ago.When kids don't get out to play and interact with the world, it makes it worse.When focus gets all the praise then that is what gets developed.

Also she would take time to even work out 6 times 7, then when asked immediately after it, 7 times 6, she would take time and work it out AGAIN!!!!

That has Left-Brain Fixation stamped all over it. Too much emphasis on FOCUS which is what schools have done ever more since long ago.When kids don't get out to play and interact with the world, it makes it worse.When focus gets all the praise then that is what gets developed.

You know how you can be stuck on a code bug, get up for a break and see what you didn't when you get back? That is precisely because of fixation where the conscious "knows" the lines are right even when they're not. If you get too good at focus it takes longer breaks to shake it off. And yes, that can get worse.